After they finished aligning everyone's thinking, the Frontline Support Battalion threw itself into putting plans into action, displaying impressive efficiency and unity.
The medical personnel, worn out from days of rushing about, split into two teams as the old director had instructed. One team unloaded equipment from the vehicles, while the other helped the combat units maintain order at the boarding site.
With chakra and ninjutsu, the shinobi easily prepared a temporary port where the ships were moored, suitable for loading and unloading cargo. They also created smooth ramps out of thin air between the decks and the shore.
Large pieces of equipment weighing hundreds of kilograms were secured to flatbed carts. Just three or four people pulling could get them aboard quickly and steadily in a matter of seconds, without needing winches or pulleys.
The manpower this freed up was put to work reinforcing the ships and ensuring their safety.
At Nara Motonari's instruction, they placed all kinds of traps and talismans prepared in advance throughout the ships, inside and out, doing everything they could to turn the two vessels into floating fortresses!
The other combat units handled the defenses and sensory barriers, ensuring they could detect any possible attacks in advance while at sea.
Soji, taking part in an operation of this kind for the first time, watched it all unfold.
But, as the Coordination Commissioner, he understood that the real preparations were not aboard these two seemingly impregnable transport ships.
Inoue Reina, who was in charge of communications, had contacted the allied forces providing intelligence support for the operation several hours earlier.
These temporarily assigned scouts made full use of their abilities, dividing the area along twenty kilometers of the Amber River into separate defensive zones ahead of time and keeping close watch on every disturbance!
Meanwhile, the border troops stationed far away along the Land of Fire and Land of Wind frontier had also received reinforcements from the village!
They had abandoned the previous stalemate, where the two sides were locked together like interlocking teeth. By strategically giving ground to gain the upper hand, they established a tightly secured temporary defense line within the Land of Fire, completely cutting off the Sand Ninja's route for infiltrating its interior!
These developments immediately heightened tensions along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind...
"So the mastermind behind the Waterfall Ninja we hired earlier has been confirmed to have entered the Land of Fire?" Soji asked Teacher Motonari in a lowered voice.
The latter nodded slightly. There was not a trace of laziness in his sharp eyes. "The border troops found signs of an organized force of Sand Ninja infiltrating across the border. This is completely different from the scattered intelligence-gathering operations we saw before. Cutting off their retreat now will let us trap them and wipe them out."
"So the Land of Wind really is behind it..." Soji sighed softly and said no more.
It seemed the hired Waterfall Ninja really had been a smokescreen put out by someone with ulterior motives. Teacher Motonari's earlier assessment had basically been confirmed.
But even if the conditions for launching the operation remained unchanged, the rest of it might not go smoothly...
The enemy's exact numbers and strength were still unclear. Konoha might have the advantage of terrain, but it was still impossible to know who would emerge victorious.
"The enemy's identity is all but certain, but we still don't know how strong the force that entered the Land of Fire is. You're not only a member of Team Five now, but also the Coordination Commissioner appointed by the Hokage. Don't take this lightly or assume you have everything under control."
"Of course... Actually, I've been worried about my own combat strength for a while." Soji sighed again, but unlike his earlier, heartfelt sigh, this one was clearly more deliberate...
"What? Taking out an entire squad of Waterfall Ninja in one go still wasn't enough for you?" Teacher Motonari teased with a smile.
"Come on, you know better than anyone what the situation was like back then. If Director Inoue hadn't sent me a 'bodyguard,' my ambush might not have gone so smoothly."
Soji shook his head and tentatively stepped two paces closer to Motonari. "Still, if I had a chance to experience that heightened perception again, I might feel more confident about the operation ahead."
"You little rascal... You've gotten hooked, have you?" Motonari laughed and flicked the boy on the forehead. "Did you think I was joking earlier? It's not as if you can just get your hands on Superman Drug whenever you want!"
"Then perhaps you could tell me a little about the ingredients... I happen to know a few seniors in the pharmaceutical division. Maybe I'll have the chance to research this sort of thing someday."
"...You're really pushing your luck!"
Teacher Motonari raised a hand in mock anger, pretending he was about to hit him.
Soji saw this and shifted slightly out of the way, moving beyond his teacher's "range."
The boy had always known where to draw the line. Of course he understood that the Nara Clan's secret recipe couldn't just be given away.
He had only said it on purpose to pave the way for a compromise later.
"Don't be mad. I was only saying... Since Superman Drug isn't an option for now, I have another small favor to ask. I hope you'll agree, Teacher."
"Let's hear it."
"It's about the Shadow Secret Technique you used to subdue the Waterfall Ninja assassin. I've thought it over for a long time since then, and I've come up with a few guesses. I was hoping you could confirm them for me." Soji cupped his hands and bowed, his playful manner gone.
After considering his words for a moment, he cautiously continued, "I'd heard about the Nara Clan's secret techniques back at the Ninja Academy, but the scale of your technique in the forest that night was far beyond anything I'd heard from others... So I'm guessing there must be some trick to it."
In the original story, the Nara Clan's shadow-controlling techniques left a deep impression.
The Shadow Ninja Art, which combined control, offense, and support, was the glue that held the Ino-Shika-Cho formation together, and it performed remarkably well in every respect.
But whether it was Shikamaru of the new generation or his father, Shikaku, the Nara Clan members often faced one unavoidable problem when fighting with the Shadow Secret Technique... namely, the ninjutsu's maximum range!
Yet during the operation to capture the Waterfall Ninja assassin, Nara Motonari had expanded the Shadow Secret Technique to cover a radius of several hundred meters in a short time. Soji, who had accidentally entered its range, was affected by the technique at once, which only intensified his nervousness.
At first, the boy had simply marveled at how his teacher had mastered the secret technique. But as time passed, he reconsidered his original assumption...
"I was thinking that perhaps you incorporated genjutsu into the Shadow Secret Technique. Maybe this unusual combination of techniques lets you bring their strengths together. Am I wrong?"
"Ah... You're giving me a headache." Motonari scratched his head, looking troubled, though there was also a hint of delight in his expression. "You saw it just once and still figured out what was going on?"
"I'm only guessing... Besides, observing the effect and knowing how it works are two completely different things, let alone figuring out how to counter it."
Soji lowered his head in a respectful bow.
Having spent some time with him, Nara Motonari knew this was the boy's standard routine before asking for a favor. So he went ahead and cut straight to the point. "After all that circling around, you want to learn the ace I've kept up my sleeve?"
"Teacher, you truly see everything with a discerning eye!"
Flattery always worked!
Soji offered up a couple of compliments that cost him nothing, then continued working toward his little scheme.
"I thought that activating my kekkei genkai technique was a fairly complicated process, and its need for stealth and surprise is similar to the Nara Clan's Shadow Secret Technique. If you wouldn't mind teaching someone as lowly as me a thing or two, I'd be extremely grateful!"
"All right, all right. You're too young to be spouting all this nonsense. As the responsible jōnin of Team Five, I'm not going to keep what you need to learn from you."
Motonari sounded impatient, but as a teacher, he was mostly pleased to have a student who was eager to learn and good at thinking things through.
So he readily agreed to Soji's request, then took care to warn him against going astray. "But let me make this clear first: genjutsu has its own learning curve. With a major battle approaching, don't get impatient and end up disrupting your existing fighting style."
"Teacher, I'll remember every word of your advice."
Before you continue